I have the miniDSP UMIK-1 calibrated USB measurement microphone
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Well, in my room for the prime non-music-listening use layout, music sounds abysmal. DSP makes it listenable, but some way from perfect. Moving the speakers each 2.5 feet further in and a little further into the room, and putting a chair in front of the sofa, makes it very good, without dsp needed, though some room effects needing treatment which will await a house move. It is completely different from the tweakery to which you allude.
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A bit of inductive logic:
I think that most people agree that live music is best (my opinion);
At a live concert, be you sitting or be you standing, you are extremely unlikely to be in ‘the best spot’;
Concluding that being in the best spot is not the most important factor;
Conceded that there are some very bad spots at live venues.
…at home I find that 'speaker placement is critical; but listening position needs to be only ‘thereabouts’.
(I believe that my 'speakers have wide dispersion and I find that any toe-in is a music killer)
Headphones have many advantages…
A few observations re your assessment:
- A live performance is as much about the amtmosphere as the music, whereas at home it is simply music.
- almost invariably the domestic listening room is a lot smaller than the live venue, meaning that room cancellations or resonances, and near reflections are very much different, making positioning much more significant.
- at home you have the option to improve sound by optimising the room, both positioning and treatment, so it seems odd not to as far as practicable - especially if spending large sums on equipment.
And then all homes are different. interestingly of the many homes in which I have had my hifi, my present one is the only one that caused difficulty, with marked cancellations and long decay time. It doesn’t help that it is also the first time the listening room has doubled as a home cinema with a 12ft wide screen to accommodate between the speakers.
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That’s so very true…
There are a few things that headphones are able to provide that no speakers based system can match.
But there are others that only speakers can provide.
Unfortunately, for a very good system, the difference in price is more than an order of magnitude 
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I agree that these factors do contribute to the overall listening experience at home, with, for example, 'speaker positioning being critical. It’s my experience, however, that it is not that critical to be listening from ‘the exact spot’. This might be due to the very immersive effect of my 'speakers with their widely dispersive arrays (no toe-in) but that’s a guess. I can sit along an approximate 1m length on my sofa and not be troubled by L/R imbalances.
It really does depend on the room - as I said, my present room is the first I have encountered (out of 9) that is so difficult, undoubtedly because of its shape. It is not the speakers because it was exactly the same with their predecessor).
Re wide dispersion speakers, they of course are likely to cause more significant near reflections from side walls than narrower dispersion, so arguably would benefit more from toeing in - but the effect of toeing undoubtedly depends on the room as well, and on how absorbing it is at higher frequencies (and of course personal sound preference unless you measure). FWIW mine are also wide dispersion, though of course that term is imprecise. I use mine roed in because they were designed to be used pointing at the listener, and as that is how I put them when using REW to find the best positioning I saw no point in playing after.
The width of the area of best sound of course depends on distance from speakers - but unless listening “critically” it indeed is likely to be un-critical.
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